1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for towing an aircraft on the ground, and more particularly, to a tow connector which engages an aircraft nose strut to tow the aircraft.
Typically, aircraft are transported on the ground using a vehicle having a tow bar with a connector at its distal end which engages the aircraft. In the usual operation, a member of the ground crew aligns the connector with the aircraft and operates a mechanism to lock the connector in place on the aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,936 discloses a tow bar head for aircraft wherein the tow bar head is aligned with a cross pin on the nose strut. A removable locking pin is pulled from the body of the tow bar head and a positive deadbolt slide lock is retracted by the ground crew person to provide clearance for the cross pin to engage a transverse slot in the underside of the tow bar head. A handle on the deadbolt is then released and the slide lock is returned to the lock position by a spring. The locking pin is then reinserted into the body of the tow bar head to prevent withdrawal of the slide lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,522 discloses a tow bar apparatus having a pair of bifurcated jaws which are closeable on a tow pin of the aircraft landing gear by rotation of a handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,832 discloses an aircraft tow bar device having a latch arrangement comprising opposite slide fingers with extending latch pins for engaging holes in a pair of brackets extending from the nose strut of an aircraft. In order to secure the tow bar to the strut, a lever arm is manually rotated and the slide fingers are then opened for receiving the brackets on the strut. Before the lever arm is rotated, a knob must be pulled upwardly to withdraw a plunger which locks the lever arm in the engaged position.
The prior art tow connectors described above require various manipulations by ground crew persons to secure and release them on and off the nose strut. In many cases, especially commercial aircraft applications, timing is critical and a tow connector which may be engaged on the nose strut with minimal time and effort is desirable. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a tow connector with a low profile at its forward end to avoid damaging aircraft nose gear. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft tow connector which does not require a multiplicity of actions by the ground crew and which may be engaged to the nose gear by one hand, without damaging the nose gear.